LAN connection problems

Hi everyone!!!

I'm trying to set up a LAN with my new 1.9Ghz XP machine and my 850Mhz win98 machine. I bought the LinkSYS 10/100 network in a box with the 5 port hub.

The new machine had a card installed from Dell, and I put one of the cards "in the box" in the 850 Cybermax.

The Dell WinXP machine seems to be OK but the Cybermax doesn't like me anymore. With the card installed it boots but very slow... with the cable attached it stops booting at "Verifying DMI Pool Data" and just hangs there! There has even been times when it wouldn't boot in "safemode".

Any thoughts??? Thanks in advance.

Shane

 

Just for the heck of it, I tried the other card in another PCI slot, and still had the same problem. The system wouldn't boot further than 1/2 way with the card plugged in and the cable attached. When I exited "safemode" and rebooted with the card in and no cable it went through the "new hardware found wizard".

 

Here's where I'm at now... I can boot both machines with the cables unattached. After the systems are booted I attach the cables to the hub and the Network seems OK. I can see both machines and can open files, but when I try to copy a file from the old Cybermax to the new Dell, it will transfer about 1/2 the file and the Cybermax will completely lock up.

Does it matter that the Cybermax is an Athlon and the Dell is a Pentium4?

 

The type of processor would not matter, so don't worry about that.


There are a few of things that you could check.

Try a different brand of network card than the linksys.

Make sure the two computers have different names.

Make sure they have different IP addresses.

You stated that it is a 5 port hub. On my Linksys the uplink and port5 cannot be used at the same time. If you do, you will have problems.

 

Why would the brand of network card matter?

 

Two reasons for trying a different brand:

1) The cards could be bad. This is doubtful but it could happen.

2) There could be a conflict with the chipset with that particular card.



Also, one thing I did not mention before, check to see if the PCI slots that you are trying to use are busmastering slots. PCI NICs will only work in those slots.

On most PCs PCI slot one is a busmastering slot. You could also check in the bios to see if busmastering is enabled.

 

I've tried 2 different cards and in two different slots. (I have no idea if they are busmaster slots). The computer actually booted twice yesterday with the cable attached, and both systems were visible in the network.

My new machine (the host Dell) is running Windows XP. Does the Win98 machine need set up for Windows NT domain?

I have 5 PCI slots on the mother board of my 850Mhz Athlon (old machine). From top to bottom, the top is empty, next one down is sound card, middle one has the Ethernet card, one up from bottom is modem, and bottom is empty (I originally had the card in there).

Thanks for hanging in there with me while I try to solve this problem.

(BTW, I had the 2 machines online at the same time yesterday using the modem on the Dell for about 1/2 hour before the old machine decided it had enough... )

 

Your welcome.


I saw this site earlier today, http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp/ic_firewall.htm

You might want to see about disabling the ICF as talked about in this article to see if that is the problem. Maybe the Windows 98 machine is tripping out on it.

 

Brooks,

I moved the card to the top slot and things seem to be working much better for now. I'm not sure the transfer rate is as high as it should be, but the computers are getting along, so I'm happy!!!

I'm running "Award" bios in the 850 but I don't know what Dell uses in there 1.9Ghz.

My biggest concern is the top PCI slot is very close to the AGP slot on this board and although the graphics card has a fan on it, I'm not sure if it will overheat or not...

This is a GREAT Forum and I appreciate your help...

Now all I have to figure out is where I need to copy these files to so they work on my new PC.

Thanks again everyone,

Shane